THE TRUTH ABOUT CARBS:

Carbohydrate has gotten a bad rap in the media for many years often causing dieters to fear certain foods and to seek out extreme forms of dieting where carbohydrate has been cut from our lives altogether.

But what does the science say? Are carbs really as bad as we sometimes feel they are?

Read our blog to find the answer…

Do carbs make you gain weight?

Yes, carbs can certainly help you gain weight but only if you are consuming them to the point where you exceed your Daily Caloric Requirement.

The fact is, there is nothing special about carbs when it comes to weight gain, in fact over eating ANY nutrient will result in the same.

So rather than become fixated on any specific food group, learn to manage your overall daily caloric intake properly, and you will see the results you desire without having to avoid any specific types of foods.

How much carbohydrate should you eat on a daily basis?

Once you work out how many calories you should eat on a daily basis, we recommend getting your daily calories by prioritising 2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight and 1 gram of fats per kilo.

The rest of the remaining calories should come from carbs. Our calorie calculator will give you all the information you need.

Are some sources of carbs better than others?

Absolutely!

The Glycaemic Index is an index that reflects how much a carb source will affect your blood sugars. We recommend sticking to LOW GI carbs as often as possible.

Low GI Carbs include any wholegrain, unprocessed foods. These are foods that have not been overly processed, so during chewing and digestion your body has to work much harder to break the foods down.

This results in a much slower release of energy, lower blood sugars, less insulin in your blood stream and ultimately, greater amounts of fat burning overall.

Check out our Optimal Foods Shopping List. We’ve prepared this specially to help you optimise your diet with the hard work done for you.

Do you need to eat carbs at a specific time of the day?

Ultimately, it is the number of calories you consume on a daily basis that will determine whether you gain, lose or maintain weight so its best not to get too hung up on this.

Having said that eating carbs around your workouts can give you a small additional boost in both workout energy and fat loss.

A small meal dense in LOW GI carbs 1-2 hours before a workout will help increase performance, and another similar meal right after training can help to improve overall body shape and definition.

SUMMARY

The key to being your perfect weight boils down to the number of carries you consume.

Use our calorie calculator to find out how much you should be eating on a daily basis, and if you want help implementing this information get connected with us here: TRY US